Tungabhadra workers demand job regularisation, higher minimum wage

Bengaluru

The Tungabhadra irrigation  worker's union, or Tungabhadra Neeravari Karmikara Sangha, came out in protest on Wednesday over the irregular nature of their occupation and not being paid their salaries since Dec of last year. “Very importantly, for 25-30 years the workers have been engaged in this work.

They are called contract workers but they don’t have any ESI, PF and other facilities. We had met then Irrigation Minister Chaluvarayaswamy and explained our difficulties and he said he would support our cause. But now they have changed the minister,” said AICCTU State Joint Secretary Nagraj Pujar.

The protestors consisted of the workers under the dam who complained that their children have no other facilities except limited educational options, not getting the statutory wages and are facing a difficult situation to provide for their families with nothing put aside for their retirement. The workers’ main concern was the irregular nature of the job.

They stated that so-called non-regular permanent jobs had become the norm. Prominent workers’ rights advocate Clifton D’Rozario said, “Most unfortunate thing is there are no permanent workers."